Screeney hits 2-8 as Offaly minors stun Dublin

Leinster MHC semi-final

Offaly 3-18 

Dublin 1-15 

Offaly advanced to the Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Hurling Championship final as they secured a well-deserved nine-point victory over a lethargic Dublin at O’Connor Park on Saturday. The visitors opened up brightly with a Ruán O’Connor goal prompting a 1-5 to 0-4 lead by the 11th minute but a well-taken goal from the excellent Adam Screeney soon after and a Dan Ravenhill penalty saw Offaly turn around with a 2-11 to 1-9 interval lead. Screeney’s second goal, five minutes into the second-half effectively settled the issue with the eight points shared by Ollie Gaffney and Conor Brennan of mere consolation value to Dublin by the final whistle.

Scorers for Offaly: A Screeney 2-8 (0-6f), D Ravenhill 1-5 (1-0 pen, 0-2f, 0-1 ’65), S Rigney, C Robinson 0-2 each, B Kavanagh 0-1. 

Scorers for Dublin: O Gaffney 0-5 (1f), C Brennan 0-3, R O’Connor 1-0, J Kavanagh, D Purcell 0-2 each, C Moran (f), M Tierney, C Donovan 0-1 each.

OFFALY: L Hoare; C Larkin, J Mahon, R Kelly; T Guinan, B Kavanagh, D Shirley; C Martin, C Doyle; N Furlong, D Ravenhill, L Kavanagh; C Robinson, S Rigney, A Screeney. 

Subs: S Connolly for Robinson (59), L O’Riordan for Rigney (60), R Bracken for Screeney (62).

DUBLIN: S Clarke; B Kenny, D Bannan, B Lynch; J Kavanagh, S Crosbie, C Moran; C Kennedy, D Purcell; M Tierney, C Donovan, O Gaffney; C Newton, R O’Connor, C Brennan. 

Subs: D Lyons for Crosbie (half-time), T Butler for O’Connor (42), C Mag Ruairc for Lynch (45), J Kinnane for Tierney (52), Crosbie for Kavanagh (59).

Referee: Padraig Dunne (Laois).